What a Tree

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in the annual olive harvest in Andalucia while staying with a Spanish family.

It was truly a family affair with every member of the group related in some way and taking pride in bringing their crop to market, while chatting, shouting, laughing , and sometimes ranting while the job was underway.

In one day we collected hundreds of basket loads of Olives. We beat them off the trees with big sticks causing the olives to fall into the nets below. We then removed the twigs and any random dirt and placed them into clean baskets ready to put on the truck and into the mill the next morning.

We had to be at the mill as early as possible in order to secure the first cold press of the day so the olive oil retained its flavour and quality.

From that day, I wanted my own olive tree grove and if I couldn’t, I could at least pretend and dream!

Well yesterday… I achieved it. I had a 150 year old olive tree delivered to my door.  It looks so beautiful with its wide girth and twisted trunk – I wonder what it is about olive trees that makes them appear to have such authority, as if they deserve to be respected. They each seem to have a personality of their own with a rich history to tell.

If you’d like your very own olive tree check this out.